FAIRBAIRN SYKES FIGHTING KNIFE,SECOND AND THIRD PATTERN,COMMANDO DAGGER

BY NO MEANS A COMPLETE INSIGHT, THERE ARE MANY VARIANTS WITHIN THE PATTERNS.. ONE THING THE FS KNIFE ISNT AND THATS A THROWING KNIFE!!! ITS NOT BALANCED FOR THROWING AND THE BLADE WILL BREAK...SO IF YOU HAVE ONE....DONT THROW IT!!.A FAVOURED METHOD OF USING THE KNIFE WAS TO PULL AN OPPONENT ONTO IT,OR STICKING IT INTO THE BASE OF AN OPPONENTS SKULL...OR APPROACH AN OPONENT FROM THE BACK,PUSH THE KNIFE THROUGH HIS NECK BEHIND THE WINDPIPE AND IMMEDIATELY PUNCH FORWARD..RESULTING IN THE OPPONENT HAVING HIS THROAT RIPPED OUT....NASTY WORK, BUT THE KNIFE IS DESIGNED AS A KILLING MACHINE....ITS NOT FOR PEELING POTATOES!!!AT THE END OF WW2 WHEN QUANTITIES OF THE FS KNIFE WERE DECLARED SURPLUS, HUNDREDS WERE STAMPED WITH THE WORD "ENGLAND" AND SOLD TO DEALERS IN THE USA TO BE OFFERED ON TO THE CIVILLIAN MARKET.

[@Codename-B]

I make my own FS based on the third pattern. Great knives. Thank you for this thorough video.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Nice

[@sandymilne224]

Really enjoyed this video. I have a 3rd pattern post war with no stamping, which I have had since I was 18 years old. Now I’m 70. It will be going to me kids when I’m gone.

[@seanbax3051]

Thanks for the info, now i know ive got a 1st pattern 👍

[@chiefslief1886]

Beautiful knives and review! Thank you❤

[@Carlmuscleman67]

Fantastic video, loads of info

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Thanks

[@MJM804]

Nice collection. You need a first pattern reproduction from Macdonald Armouries in Edinburgh, Scotland. I have one and love it.👍👍👍🗡🗡🗡

[@beneaves8413]

nice 20 min length thanks for making me happy

[@historicmilitaria1944]

i aim to please, tho its not as complete as i would have liked it to have been.

[@WW2GERMANMILITARIA123]

Love them FS daggers …. Very nice daggers Cj informative too my friend…🤘🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿👍

[@historicmilitaria1944]

thanks

[@paulsmith8855]

Informative video

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Thanks for watching

[@73north]

You got a great collection there - and above did not pay silly prices at auction - see these sell for hundreds on ' the saleroom ' - good job and lovely video

[@historicmilitaria1944]

thanks, and thanks for watching

[@tyleringle268]

@@historicmilitaria1944 I am looking at a original ww2 fairbane Sykes fighting knife for sale online it has the upside down v at the bottom of the blade. But the handle is from a 3rd pattern knife and is stamped with the number 1 it also says ENGLAND on the guard strange thing is that it has the #42. 4 ENGLAND 2 stamped on the guard just like that. Is it worth buying?

[@steelhelmetstan7305]

Another education...great video m8, interesting to see that there's a definitive book on the subject...cheers 🙂🙃🙂

[@historicmilitaria1944]

thanks, the book is an arm and a leg..but its a one stop shop.

[@steelhelmetstan7305]

@@historicmilitaria1944 cheers CJ....great tip off about 'naval & military press '...I'd never heard of them before, signed up for newsletter 🙂🙂

[@canukdcv905]

Really great vid, right in my wheelhouse. Lots as good info for FS novices. It should be noted that 2nd Pattern knives can still have the FS logo one side and the Wilkinson trade mark crest on the other, much like the 1st pattern.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Thanks for the interest,pleased you liked the vid and thanks for the additional information

[@beneaves8413]

good video

[@historicmilitaria1944]

thanks

[@kaidogames_ch]

amazing videos I am from japan🇯🇵👍👍

[@historicmilitaria1944]

thanks

[@KaliLite]

Never understood collectors of weapons...why not join the military and use them

[@davidbrennan660]

Nice cutlery.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

thanks

[@nickgreaves3355]

Hi, What do you think of the S.F knife stamped with the I for India from Worldwide Arms? Regards Nick

[@historicmilitaria1944]

its an indian made reproduction of the indian fs dagger...i think its made by Windlass Steelcrafts ,an indian repro sword and edged weapon maker...who also does armour like the 300 movie spartan sword and shield... they also supply IMA in America with swords and daggers...they may also be the ones who make the repro swords WWA offers

[@theant9821]

I've never come across one that disassembles, it should be hammered on the tang to prevent the nut from coming off.

[@shumyinghon]

i have one with a brass handle with fine checkered patters. the dagger has no marks except for a star symbol on the cross-guard, the piece is rusted but the point is very sharp - what do you think its from? imitation?

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Hi yours is post ww2 indonesian military,the star is the proof mark

[@tomkenney5365]

Good video, but now I have more questions. I inherited an FS from my father, who was a P-51 pilot flying out of England during the war. He didn't talk about the war, and I didn't even know this dagger existed until after he died, so I have no clue when or where he got it, but I'm pretty sure it was while he was there. He wasn't a collector. So, that being said, going by your descriptions, I have a second pattern blade (but the inverted v is about twice the size of your example) with a wartime third pattern handle from foundry 1, and a straight guard that is only stamped "ENGLAND" with a second missed stamp on the edge that just has the "E". No maker's mark. What does that indicate? It's never been sharpened, has maybe 1 mm broken from the tip, and about 1 cm of the tip has the bluing (?) rubbed off. I also have the same sheath you have for your 2 examples.

[@tomkenney5365]

I think the question about the "ENGLAND" stamp was answered in your reply to another comment, and that it's an export. Possibly cobbled together from boxes of surplus parts, hence the p2 blade and p3 handle.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Hi,the word england was stamped on those war surplus daggers which were sold to the usa in 1946.....around 200,000 were sold as war surplus and the americans sold them commercially through adverts in gun magazines,kids comics and the like......they sold at around a few dollars each.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

I agree,probably a reassembled piece

[@-Zevin-]

What's your opinion of the second vs the third pattern grips? Which one provides a more secure grip and is more comfortable in the hand?

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Second part sits better

[@-Zevin-]

@@historicmilitaria1944 Thanks for the reply, I suspect the third pattern was more for ease of manufacture then rather than function?

[@junglejim99]

Do you use leather cream on your leather items or leave alone?

[@historicmilitaria1944]

i do give them a dab, but not too much as it can weaken it

[@woodcote90]

I've just inherited one of these. It is a 2nd pattern. It has a broad arrow 56 stamped on it. Do you know what that means?

[@historicmilitaria1944]

It indicates the knife was made by sub contractor william Rodgers and it's not a Wilkinson sword one.usially the Roger's make has an arrow and 57 contractor mark,and the blade is usually a bit thinner than a Wilkinson one.

[@woodcote90]

@@historicmilitaria1944 thanks for that.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

@@woodcote90 no prob,pleased to help

[@CrimeVid]

So, you are talking about the British commando dagger, not the FS fighting knife as original (Shanghai knife), but nice detailed video all the same.

[@desertfoxxx98]

They're the same.

[@CrimeVid]

@@desertfoxxx98 they are not !

[@theant9821]

The British commando dagger is the fs fighting knife. The shanghai knife which was made to order for fairbairn, is what the commando dagger/fs knife was inspired by.

[@OldCarsAreFun]

Why the round handle? Wouldnt that twist in your hand?

[@historicmilitaria1944]

No the handles had a variety of grip methods either machinedbor cast into the handle to aid better grip,the design of the handle was chosen as it gives the knife better balance

[@felixparadis691]

My mother give me one. She told me it's from the 1950's Korean war. In one side of the gard you can read " made in sherpfield england" and on the other side "imperial guded*** cutlery* (?? * mean unreadable) i can insure you that's a real one early third generation. I'm from Quebec Canada

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Nice

[@beneaves8413]

any vids this weekend

[@historicmilitaria1944]

hi, no, overtime all this weekend

[@beneaves8413]

got any book haul vids

[@historicmilitaria1944]

ha! in a fortnight ive only had three books come in

[@beneaves8413]

any vids this week

[@historicmilitaria1944]

hi, nope, busy doing boring household stuff!!!

[@frogsgottalent1106]

WORLD WIDE ARMS ......... I've purchased a LOT of stuff from them believing them to be genuine. They have nice catalogues, but their wording and descriptions led " me " up the garden path. I don't find them friendly either.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

i have been on their mailing list since 1984, they are great for some stuff but one has to be careful as not all their stock is genuine/ and altered/misworded, to appear to be something they are not...example...some years ago they had hardshell brown luger holsters stamped "SA" on the flap which they were selling as prewar Sturm Abteilung brownshirts pieces, turned out they were postww2 norwegian army!!!...they were also selling german ww2 bofors alloy clips with waffen stamps....the waffen stamps turned out to be an added stamping....

[@frogsgottalent1106]

@@historicmilitaria1944 Yes, they love to add a ' spiel ' to an item like " Great condition.....", when it's straight off the assembly line.

[@andrewfox6631]

I use a have a cheap repo knife from soldier of fortune.. cheaply made

[@historicmilitaria1944]

they now do copy j nowill fs daggers at around £60 each, not bad copies but bad scabbards

[@andrewfox6631]

@@historicmilitaria1944 I think I got mine for£30ish from soldier of fortune a few years ago

[@historicmilitaria1944]

@@andrewfox6631nice,commercial repros are an acceptable stand in substitute.

[@Mat-kr1nf]

@@historicmilitaria1944 Hi, I have the chance to buy a 3rd pattern, by J. Nowill , it is meant to be a genuine one, post WW2. It looks genuine apart from the handle nut isn’t a smooth dome, it has 6 flats around it and is domed on the top, so it stands higher than all the smooth domed ones, like yours. It has a cross keys in relief on the handle, just above the cross piece. On the blade (not parkerised), it is very faintly stencilled J. Nowill and Sons, then “Established 1700” or at least, it looks like 1700- it’s very, very faint. Unlike the modern Nowill iterations, the blade is broader at the point, it doesn’t come to a really fine point like the copies; also, there is no inverted v where the blade enters the handle, the central line on the blade goes all the way up. The sheath looks quite old and the top bit is pop studded inside the sheath, not on the outside like newer ones. My main concern is the unusual nut on the handle- coupled with the fact it’s a Nowill, I’m fairly well clued up on how knives age, especially carbon steel, this does look oldish, it has a nice patina, and the ribs on the handles show the alloy beneath the parkerisation, plus there are various little dings and dents, associated with age and use, on the handle. I would really appreciate your advice as to it’s possible authenticity, thank you.🤓👍

[@historicmilitaria1944]

Hi,sounds like a commercial pattern